Rivers Know
by M. Rouser
Summary: The bodies of college students are being dumped in the Mississippi River, and an old acquaintance of Hotch's that works in the FBI's Minneapolis Field Office asks for the BAU's help. Hotch/OC romance and a casefic. Better than the summary sounds!
1. Introduction

**Summary: Ten years ago, Hotch made an acquaintance during training. Now they meet again when she needs help on a case concerning murders in Minneapolis. When the BAU takes the case, Hotch finds himself trying to open his heart for the first time since Haley's death... **

**I don't own Criminal Minds or its characters!  
**

* * *

Special Agent Lucy Harris heaved a heavy sigh and shifted her weight uncomfortably. She felt like she had been sitting in the same conference room her entire life, but really it had only been two days. Her medium-length brown hair that had been done so nicely that morning was now tied back in a loose ponytail. Although she was looking professional and fashionable in her gray pantsuit and white blouse, her body ached for a pair of jeans a T-shirt.

It was late spring in Quantico, Virginia. The humidity outside was unbearable but fortunately the FBI had investing in air conditioning. Lucy, along with twenty some other agents, was at the Leadership and Management Science Unit located on the FBI Academy campus. It would be three weeks of training to prepare these agents for positions of leadership throughout various parts of the Bureau.

Reaching for her bottle of water, Lucy took a quick swig and tried to get her steel gray eyes to regain focus on the power point presentation. Luckily it was almost time for their afternoon break. Once it finally came, Lucy stood and stretched her arms. The only other agent she was acquainted with, Brian Rosvold, approached her. "How was that for ya?" He asked with a grin.

"Splendid," Lucy replied sarcastically. Everyone was gradually leaving the room to approach the one break room filled with a couple vending machines. "I need a pop," she said pointedly, and the two approached the machine. Cracking open her Pepsi, she turned to see another Agent that had been waiting behind her.

"Hotch!" Brian exclaimed, seeming to the man. The two gave a friendly handshake. "I didn't see you here yesterday,"

"Just got back from a case," he replied in a deep, dark voice. Lucy took a moment to take in the man standing in front of her. He stood tall with broad shoulders and dark, perfectly groomed hair. His face was serious and his navy blue suit impeccable. Lucy's first impression was that this man was not to be messed with. He probably got into the FBI based on his demeanor alone.

"Hotch, this is Special Agent Lucy Harris," Brian introduced. "Luce, meet Aaron Hotchner."

Lucy extended her hand and noticed his firm handshake matched his personality well. "It's a pleasure," she said kindly.

"Likewise," Agent Hotchner said, giving only the faintest hint of a smile.

"Hotchner here is soon to be the Special Agent in Charge of the BAU," Brian continued.

"The BAU?" Lucy inquired, unfamiliar with the name.

"Behavior Analysis Unit," Agent Hotchner clarified.

"Oh," Lucy responded, "Sure. I've heard of it. 'Profilers,' I think you guys call yourselves? Sounds… interesting," she said flatly.

"You seem skeptical," Hotch stated.

Lucy simply shrugged in response. "Like I said, it sounds interesting. But to be honest, I don't know what kind of results are going to come from figuring out what a serial killer has for breakfast… but I'm not the one in charge of the Bureau's money."

"It's a little more than that," Hotch said, somewhat defensively.

Brian gave a chuckle. "Don't get this one started," he said, intervening, patting Hotch on the back. "Profiling is a real deal, Luce. And Hotch here is one of the best. I'd advise you get on his good side. That said, time for me to go and help get the next session's material out…" and with that he left the two to continue their conversation.

"So," Lucy said to keep the conversation going once Brian had left. "Tell me a little more about this… behavioral analysis."

"Well," Hotch said thoughtfully, cracking open his soda and taking a sip. "Essentially, we look at a crime and use all the evidence and information there to build a profile of our UnSub."

"UnSub?" Lucy questioned.

"Unknown subject," Agent Hotchner explained. "The profile can then be used to give an identity to the UnSub, and sometimes even predict where and how he might strike next."

"Simple as that," Lucy stated.

"Hardly ever," Hotch replied.

After a thoughtful silence, Lucy finally said bluntly, "I still don't get it."

In response, Hotch raised his eyebrow.

"I mean, I'm not dense," Lucy explained. "I understand what you're saying and what you say you can do. But I don't understand how you can take, well, _nothing_, and suddenly know who this UnSub is."

"Perhaps I can show you," Hotch said. "If you would let me use you as say… an example. May I?"

Lucy nodded. "Go ahead," she agreed.

"You have an accent," he started. "It's subtle, but it's there. The way you stretch your vowels, tells me that you're from the Midwest, specifically some place to the north. A moment ago, you called what most people call 'soda,' a 'pop.' That's a unique term used mostly by people in Minnesota. During the sessions, both questions you asked pertained to situations in an urban area, so you're not from a rural town. My best guess is either St. Paul or Minneapolis."

"Born and raised on the east side of St. Paul," Lucy said in a soft, shocked voice. "But I spent my college years in Minneapolis."

"You have a very nice ring," Hotch commented. "It's on your left hand's ring finger, but it's not an engagement or wedding band. You're in a committed relationship, but with no specific future plans."

"He's a lawyer," Lucy replied carefully. "And you, Agent Hotchner, are _very_ perceptive. And you've converted me."

"Converted you?" he asked.

"I'm a BAU believer," she replied with a wink. As soon as she had said so the word reached them that the break was over, and they were to return to the conference room.


	2. Chapter 1

_Ten Years Later..._

Another day at the BAU for Agent Hotchner. He sat behind the wheel of his car in the early hours of a Tuesday morning. He had gone home around one a.m. the night before to catch some sleep, only to wake up four hours later. Jack had been peacefully asleep that entire time, which at least gave Hotch some comfort. At least his son wasn't as haunted by memories as he was.

Hotch walked briskly out into the chilly rain that was falling that day, climbed into his car, and started the engine. He was headed back to the office, the one place that could distract him from his own lonely life and gave him at least some sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Once there, he filled the coffee maker to start the first pot of coffee for the day. The clock read 6:30 a.m. when he began diving into paperwork.

It was about an hour later when he heard some noise from out in the bullpen. He assumed it was simply the first of his team to arrive for the day, but when he glanced over through his blinds he did not recognize the figure. Looking closer, he saw whoever it was look around and eventually make their way towards his office. Moments later he heard a soft knock at the door. "Come in," Hotchner said.

Tentatively, a woman in a long brown raincoat stepped into his office, her brown heels making the only noise. "Agent Hotchner," she said. "I hope I'm not interrupting you…" she trailed off.

"You're not," Hotch replied, standing up and taking a good look at the woman in front of him. Brown hair pulled back, olive skin with an oval face and gray eyes. She was so familiar to him, he knew he had met her before…

"I don't suppose you remember me," the woman continued, "We met once quite a while ago, I'm – "

"Lucy," Hotch finished. "Special Agent… Harris, I believe?"

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad he remembered; it made her feel less entirely weird about the situation. "That's right," she said, starting to feel more comfortable.

"That was quite a while ago," Hotch said thoughtfully, returning to his seat. He motioned for her to sit at the seat in front of his desk. "What brings you here?"

"Well," Lucy said a little playfully, "You being a profiler I'm sure you probably already know," she teased.

"Profilers aren't mind readers," Hotch replied with a slight chuckle. "But your accent is just as strong if not more then I recall from when I last saw you. You've been back in the Midwest?"

A smile formed across Lucy's face. "Running the Minneapolis field office," she said. "And I've come here to plead for your help."

"Agent Harris – " Hotch started

"Please," she interrupted. "It's Lucy. And I know what you're going to say. There are certain channels I need to go through, there's a procedure to all of this. Your liaison is supposed to be contacted. But there was another murder just last night, and I went right from the crime scene to the airport."

"Another?" Hotch asked, allowing for her to continue.

"The sixth in two months. They're all the same. Someone is… throwing people into the river," she said darkly.

"Throwing them?" Agent Hotchner inquired.

"More or less, yes," Lucy responded. "The first two bodies were found washed up along the river, but with the last few, there have been some witnesses. We think they're being drugged, and then convinced to go along with the killer for a walk across a bridge. Once halfway he, well, he picks them up and chucks them over the edge. That's what every witness we've had describes. But none of them have been close enough to give a decent description… and the crimes usually occur late at night, so… a number of our witnesses were intoxicated at the time. Oh, and all the victims have all been students. These crimes have been happening near college campuses."

"You have a case file with you, I presume?" Hotch asked.

"And plenty of copies," Lucy replied, pulling a folder out of her bag and placing them on Hotch's desk. "My cell phone number is on there as well as the numbers for the Minneapolis PD and the FBI field office."

"Well I'll look it over and discuss it with J.J." Hotch said. "The rest of the team will be arriving in a couple hours, so…"

"I'll find myself something to do until then," Lucy finished. Hotch nodded curtly in response while Lucy rose and gathered her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She walked toward the door and then turned back to Hotch to speak. "I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, sir," she said. "I know your team is busy, and in high demand. But keep in mind… these are just college kids, waking up to find that their friend is dead and washed up along the Mississippi. This is my city, and it is very dear to me, as are its residents."

"I understand," Hotch replied kindly. "And Lucy?"

"Yes?" she responded.

"You don't have to call me sir," He said. "You don't outrank me. You could even call me Aaron."

"I know," Lucy said, "But you just… seem like a 'sir'. I'll be waiting for your call," she added before walking out the door.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay in getting this next update, it's been a crazy month for me, which has included getting engaged! :) Anyway, now we continue...**

* * *

As the rest of the team began to arrive, J.J. quickly herded them into the conference room. After briefly going over some of the details of the situation in Minnesota, it didn't take long for the team to agree to take it on. The consensus was that the murders were most certainly the work of a serial killer, and one that was progressing. As everyone dispersed to get their "go bags," Agent Hotchner flipped open his phone to give Agent Harris a call. She picked up immediately, "This is Lucy," she greeted.

"It's Hotchner," Aaron replied.

"And?" he heard her voice ask expectantly.

"Plane leaves for Minneapolis in forty, so I suggest you get back here soon," Hotch replied.

The relief in Agent Harris' voice was palpable. "Great. See you in a few. And…thanks," she said.

"Of course," Hotch replied curtly, and hung up the phone. Time for another case.

* * *

Approaching the jet that would be taking her home, Lucy couldn't help but be impressed. She boarded and peeked her head inside the door. Inside she found the wide variety of agents that made up the BAU. Agent Hotcher was seated with his back to her at a table, and across from him Lucy recognized BAU founder David Rossi. Next to him sat a nerdy looking guy, wearing a sweater vest and seeming more like a college student than an FBI agent. Leaning on the armrest across the aisle with head buried in paperwork was a petite and beautiful blonde, whom Lucy knew well enough to be Agent Jureau. Facing the other direction was a tall brunette.

The first person to notice Agent Harris' presence was the tall, dark skinned, handsome Derek Morgan. After making eye contact he flashed her a confident smile, "Agent Harris?" he asked.

"Lucy," she replied, sticking out her hand.

"Derek," Agent Morgan replied, accepting her hand and shaking it firmly.

"Sweet ride you guys got here," Lucy said conversationally.

"Well, we like to fly in style," Derek replied with a wink. "Lucy, this is SSA Prentiss," he continued, motioning to the tall brunette.

"Emily," she corrected, giving Lucy a friendly smile.

"Jennifer Jureau," Morgan continued as J.J. gave Lucy a nod. "as well as Dr. Spencer Reid and Agent Rossi." Rossi nodded professionally at her while Reid gave a somewhat awkward smile. "And, you know our fearless leader, I assume," Derek concluded.

"Very nice to meet you all," Lucy said kindly. "I appreciate you taking up this case at such short notice."

"It's what we do," Agent Rossi replied simply.

Hotch looked behind him to make eye contact. He silently motioned for Lucy to come and sit beside him. She made her way to the seat and saw all the contents of the case file spread out across the table. Lucy's stomach gave a lurch to see the photographs, even though she had already poured over them more than once. _I've got the profilers now_, she thought to herself. _I'm not on my own anymore._ "Okay," Lucy said in a self-assured voice to mask her worries and lack of sleep. "Where do we start?"

* * *

By the time the team landed in the Twin Cities, the BAU plus Agent Harris had gone over everything they could possibly discuss in the airplane. During the last half hour of the flight, everyone became silent, lost in their thoughts, already trying to puzzle out the details.

Agent Hotchner noticed Lucy struggling to stay awake, her eyes drifting close and then snapping open again to stare blankly at the case photos in front of her. The dark lines under her eyes were telltale signs of a sleep deprived agent. Lord knows sleep deprivation was something Hotch and his team was used to. Still, he made a mental note to himself that he would have to keep an extra eye on her.

After piling into the team's typical black Tahoe's, it was a quick drive to the field office in Minneapolis. Once there, the team began to set up in the large conference room in back while Agent Hotchner and Agent Harris met with the Minneapolis police chief as well as one of the main detectives on the case.

"Chief Bergeron, Detective Shea, this is Supervisory Special Agent in Charge Aaron Hotcher," Lucy introduced.

Shaking the hands of the two men, Aaron was pleased to get a warm reception from the police chief. A man of medium height with hair that wasn't completely gray yet, the chief seem to be of good nature. "We are so glad to have you here," he said. "We could really use your help."

"Thank you," Hotchner said. "It's nice to know we're welcome."

"Well Lucy here says you guys are the best at dealing with this kind of stuff, and I put my utmost faith in her," he said fondly, giving Agent Harris a fatherly squeeze on the shoulder.

The detective was a little less hesitant to trust. Standing only a few inches shorter than Agent Hotcher, Detective Shea had wavy light brown hair, a square jaw and wide shoulders. "What makes you think you guys will do a better job than Lucy than handling this?" he asked Hotch, slightly accusatory.

"The way we approach crimes," Hotch replied simply. "We look at something other than evidence and crime scenes. We try to get into the mind of the UnSub, to figure out _why_ he or she is doing what they are doing. This helps us predict their next move and, ultimately, stop them."

"UnSub?" Detective Shea asked quizzically.

"Unknown Subject," Lucy cut in. "Profiler jargon," she explained, giving Hotch a slight smile.

Noticing the smile, Detective Shea shot Hotchner a dark, resentful look.

"Anyway," Lucy continued. "It's time we give the BAU full reigns on this. I promise it's the best thing to do. They receive our every resource and support," she ordered.

Chief Bergeron and Detecive Shea both silently consented, and the four emerged from the small office. Immediately, Hotch began delegating. "Reid, get your maps out and get working on a geographic profile. Prentiss, get started on victimology and use Garcia. I want to know everything about our victims. Where they were from, what classes they were taking, where they partied, everything. Morgan, Rossi, why don't you have Detective Shea accompany you to the morgue, to see if there is anything else we can uncover about their deaths. I will be going with SSA Harris to the bridges in question to get a lay of the land."

Lucy stood back and took in Agent Hotchner's commanding leadership. His style was very different from hers, but it wasn't any less admirable. The nature of his work probably demanded such organization. Once the team was off buzzing to their duties, Hotch turned around to Lucy. "Mind giving me a tour?" he asked, picking up a set of keys off the desk next to him.

"Not at all," Lucy replied. She snatched the keys from his hand and added, "but I'm driving."

* * *

**Reviews are my favorite! And this was put up pretty quick so sorry for any grammatical errors.**

**Side note: I decided to name the police chief "Bergeron," in honor of Maplewood (a Minnesota suburb) Police Officer Bergeron killed in the line of duty earlier this summer.**


	4. Chapter 3

Lucy and Hotch got into the black Tahoe. Before lighting the ignition, Lucy gave a slight warning. "There may be a bit of walking on this tour," she said. "Just to let you know."

"I can handle that," Hotch replied. "Where are we headed first?"

"The stone arch bridge," Lucy said. "If you take a look at your map, there, you'll see it's the one that crosses over from Pillsbury Park, just south of the 3rd Ave Bridge. It's a pedestrian bridge, and we believe the furthest north bridge that any of the bodies were dumped from. It's the first bridge south of the dam." She peeled down Washington Ave from the field office and crossed over the river to the east bank. Despite the traffic, Hotch found to be the drivers in this city to be surprisingly calm and considerate in comparison to the crazy freeways along the east coast. After parking along Pillsbury Park, the two agents got out and began their walk towards the bridge.

It was a clear, comfortable day in Minneapolis, which meant a large number of people jogging, running, and biking. Lucy and Hotch looked slightly out of place in their formal, professional attire, but not enough so to draw too much attention. As they began walking, Hotch began conversation. "Detective Shea spoke very highly of you, as did Chief Bergeron."

Lucy gave a small smile. "Well, Shea has been trying to get me to date him for about a year now. But Chief… he's a good man. I'm proud to be able to work with him."

"Trying to date you?" Hotch inquired, trying not to seem over-curious. "What about…?"

Holding up her left hand, ring finger now naked, Lucy simply said, "Things didn't work out."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hotch said sincerely.

"Well, thanks," Lucy replied. "And… I was really sorry to hear about your loss," she added in a soft voice. "I hope you know how many of us in the Bureau have been thinking and praying for you and your son."

Hotch nodded in reply, his stoic expression unwavering. "I appreciate that," he said. He then took the opportunity to take his focus away from the conversation and take in his surroundings. The Minneapolis skyline lay out in front of him, the sky in the background a brilliant mixture of oranges, pinks, and blue as the sun was beginning to set in the west. To his right the Mississippi ran wide and rushed down the Ford Dam.

Having reached the middle of the bridge, Lucy stopped and led Aaron to their left to overlook the river as it flowed south. "Alright, well next up we have 35W. That's the one that collapsed a few years back, if you do recall."

"Wow," Hotch replied, taken aback. "That's right… did you…?"

"We were busy with that ordeal for almost a year," Lucy said. "I tell you, after this case, I'm going to need a break from bridges."

"You were here when it happened, then," Hotch said.

"I was at a Twins game, only a few blocks away, when the thing went down. We lost to Kansas City in ten innings. I'll never forget that day." A few seconds of silence passed and then Lucy continued. "Past that is the Tenth Avenue Bridge. There are residential areas on both sides. 35W doesn't allow pedestrians, but the Tenth Ave does have sidewalks on both sides. It's popular for some students at the university to bike or walk across to go between banks. That's where the third crime that we know of occurred. It occurred around two in the morning, and two intoxicated girls were walking home from a party when they saw the UnSub toss another person over the edge on the south side. Now, if you'll follow me back to the car, I'll give you a closer glimpse at the University of Minnesota campus."

Once back on the road, Lucy wound her way through the U of M campus, and continued her explanation. "The fourth and sixth dumps happened on one of these two bridges. We know for sure the sixth happened on the Washington Ave bridge, and the fourth was most likely from the one we're about go to, which is a small pedestrian bridge that goes through campus. It remains mostly hidden, making it a perfect spot for our UnSub."

Pulling over this time right next to where the bridge began, parking behind a campus building, Lucy explained how the Washington Ave Bridge operated as the main connection between both banks of the University's campus, with motor traffic on bottom and pedestrians on the top level. She then gave a frustrated sigh. "The more I talk, the more hopeless this seems," she admitted.

"Don't worry, I'm taking mental notes," Hotch reassured in an uncharacteristically comforting voice. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not as hopeless as it seems," he said. "Where to next?"

"_Much_ further south. What makes us thinking that he, or she, is targeting college students has to do with the location of the fifth crime. One witness saw someone falling off the Lake St/Marshall Ave Bridge. This bridge is only about four or five blocks away from the University of St. Thomas. And a number of other university's are located further east down the road. This victim, she was a student at the College of St. Catherine, St. Thomas' sister school."

"Besides her, the rest of the victims were students at the University of Minnesota, correct?" Hotch inquired.

"One other victim went to St. Thomas, but was partying at the U. Call it the U, Aaron, it's much easier than saying "University of Minnesota" every time, and it will make you seem much more local," she added with a wink.

"Blending in with the locals isn't really my priority," Hotch replied. "Especially if it means calling soda "pop" and talking funny the way you people do," he teased.

Lucy began laughing out loud at that one. "I'm offended," she said, faking a sad face. "And here I am giving you the grand tour of our lovely city."

"It is lovely," he agreed. "One of the better places I've been sent to over the years."

"And with the _best_ company," Lucy replied persuasively.

"Of course," Hotch said in an earnest voice.

Lucy glanced over at him, sitting in the passenger seat next to her. She threw him a pleased smile, and he returned with a smile of his own. "Well knock me over with a feather," she said. "Aaron Hotchner _does_ smile."

"Once in a while," Hotch replied, shutting down the smile as soon as it began, out of habit, and turning his focus out the window on the road outside it. _Strange,_ he thought to himself. Laughter and comfort, two things that he had been without for so long, were coming so easily to him in Lucy's presence. Despite the gruesome task at hand, at the past he had endured, for once in long while he felt lighter. He was… content. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make him smile.


End file.
